Tom Petty’s Tremendous Influence on Modern Country Music

Tom Petty may not have “known much about” country music, but country musicians knew a whole lot about Tom Petty. So much, in fact, that Petty undoubtedly ranks among the biggest influences in modern country music.

As news of the icon's death hit the Internet, country musicians shared their grief. “This man changed and saved our lives as kids,” the Brothers Osborne tweeted. “Crushed.”

The chunky guitars and conversational tone epitomized by Green, Cory Morrow and Cross Canadian Ragweed all have roots in Petty’s scope. When you dig into what really made Tom Petty who he was and what makes Texas country what it is, Petty’s 1994 album Wildflowers might be as influential as Robert Earl Keen’s 1996 album No. 2 Live Dinner.